Ilia Topuria makes case for being UFC's pound-for-pound best with first-round KO of Charles Oliveira

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317.

Topuria used a devastating right hand before finishing with a left hook to drop Oliveira and end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.

“I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” said Topuria, who closed a -400 favorite at BetMGM sportsbook.

Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a successful campaign in the featherweight division last year. He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Topuria, who came in ranked fourth on UFC’s pound-for-pound list, joined nine others who have held a UFC belt in two weight classes. He is the first undefeated fighter to become champion in two UFC divisions.

“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC CEO and president Dana White said. “We have a star on our hands.”

Oliveira (35-11), who has the most finishes in UFC history, was hoping to become the first fighter to win the lightweight belt on separate occasions.

Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago.

“Let's (expletive) fight! If you're ready, I'm here,” Topuria said to Pimblett before he entered the ring.

White wasn't happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, knowing the history of bad blood between the two.

The pair have been at odds for some time, after they came to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head in 2022.

“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett said to Topuria. “But you will never knock me out.”

Replied Topuria: “I’m going to submit you.”

In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) successfully defended his belt by applying a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third round.

It marked the second time the fighters met, nine years after their quarterfinal clash on the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter,” also won by Pantoja, but by unanimous decision.

Pantoja, who closed a -250 favorite and extended his win streak to eight fights, won the title two years ago when he beat Brandon Moreno by decision, and has now defended his title successfully four times.

The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own.

Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed incredible boxing skills. Van, who closed a -120 favorite, used an overhand right to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a severe ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous decision.

The 419 combined significant strikes landed were the third most in a UFC fight, and the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight clash.

Moments after Pantoja’s win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nose to nose before exiting the octagon.

Other matches from the main card:

In a lightweight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous decision.

In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground game to register a unanimous decision over Felipe Lima (14-2-0).

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Alexandre Pantoja, right, fights Kai Kara-France in a flyweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Alexandre Pantoja takes down Kai Kara-France in a flyweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Alexandre Pantoja celebrates after defeating Kai Kara-France in a flyweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Alexandre Pantoja, right, and Kai Kara-France exchange blows in a flyweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Payton Talbott, left, fights Felipe Lima in a bantamweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Payton Talbott, right, fights Felipe Lima in a bantamweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Felipe Lima hits Payton Talbott in a bantamweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Beneil Dariush hits Renato Moicano in a lightweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Joshua Van hits Brandon Royval in a flyweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Joshua Van kicks Brandon Royval in a flyweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Joshua Van hits Brandon Royval in a flyweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Joshua Van hits Brandon Royval in a flyweight fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Ilia Topuria celebrates after defeating Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Ilia Topuria, left, fights Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Ilia Topuria celebrates after defeating Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Charles Oliveira lies on the mat after losing to Ilia Topuria in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Ilia Topuria, left, fights Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Ilia Topuria pounds on Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Voters in Kosovo cast ballots on Sunday in an early parliamentary election in hopes of breaking a political deadlock that has gripped the small Balkan nation for much of this year.

The snap vote was scheduled after Prime Minister Albin Kurti's governing Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination, party failed to form a government despite winning the most votes in a Feb. 9 election.

The deadlock marked the first time Kosovo could not form a government since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 following a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO intervention.

The prime minister's party is again the favorite in the race, but it is unclear whether it will manage to muster a majority this time in the 120-member parliament, after other mainstream parties refused an alliance.

According to Kosovo’s election laws, 20 parliamentary seats are automatically assigned to ethnic Serb representatives and other minority parties.

Another inconclusive vote would further deepen the crisis. Kosovo has not approved a budget for next year, sparking fears of possible negative effects on the already poor economy in the country of 2 million people.

Lawmakers also are set to elect a new president in March as current President Vjosa Osmani’s mandate expires in early April. If this fails too, another snap election must be held.

The main opposition parties are the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Democratic Party of Kosovo. They have accused Kurti of authoritarianism and of alienating Kosovo’s U.S. and European Union allies since he came to power in 2021.

A former political prisoner during Serbia’s rule in Kosovo, the 50-year-old Kurti has taken a tough stand in talks mediated by the European Union on normalizing relations with Belgrade. In response, the EU and the United States imposed punitive measures.

Kurti has promised to buy military equipment to boost security.

No reliable pre-election polls have been published. Kurti's party at the previous election won around 42% of the votes while the two main rival parties had together around 40%.

Analysts say that even the slightest changes in numbers on Sunday could prove decisive for the future distribution of power but that nothing is certain.

Ilmi Deliu, a 71-year-old pensioner from the capital, Pristina, said he hoped the election will bring a change or “we will end up in an abyss.”

"Young people no longer want to live here,” he said.

Tensions with restive ethnic Serbs in the north exploded in clashes in 2023 when scores of NATO-led peacekeepers were injured. In a positive step, ethnic Serb mayors this month took power peacefully there after a municipal vote.

Kurti has also agreed to accept third-country migrants deported from the United States as part of tough anti-immigration measures by the administration of President Donald Trump. One migrant has arrived so far, authorities have told The Associated Press.

Kosovo has one of the poorest economies in Europe. It is one of the six Western Balkan countries striving to eventually join the EU, but both Kosovo and Serbia have been told they must first normalize relations.

Supporters of Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista prepare to go at a polling station and cast their ballots in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)

A voter arrives at a polling station in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)

A voter prepares her ballot at a polling station in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)

People walk past a giant banner of the leader of VV (Selfdetermination) political party Albin Kurti, in the capital Pristina on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

People waiting in the iluminated bus station with banners of LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo) leader Lumir Abdixhiku in capital Pristina on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)